19.08 August Issue Highlights

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19.08 August Issue Highlights

Listen Up! With this issue we’re rolling out the weekly WIRED Features Podcast, featuring a free audio version of a recent story from the magazine. Subscribe via the iTunes Store or download an MP3 at wired.com/magazine.

COVER: Extreme Science pg. 108

Most scientists will assure you that ethical rules never hinder good research – but ask them in private, and they’ll confess that the dark side does have its appeal. Bend the rules and some of our deepest scientific questions might be resolved: Nature or nurture? What causes mental illness? How did humans evolve? WIRED explains seven unsettling experiments that demonstrate how contemporary science might advance—if science didn’t have a conscience.

Q&A: James Franco by Adam Rogers pg. 116

James Franco is one busy dude. He’s acting, he’s directing art films, writing novels, and racking up a bunch of college degrees. (On the last day of shooting for his new film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Franco went directly from the set to the airport so he could attend orientation for his doctoral program at Yale.) WIRED senior editor Adam Rogers talks to Franco about science fiction, technology in movies, and who the real monster is in Frankenstein.

Bad Reputation by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel pg. 138

In the history of modern birth control, the pill gets all the attention. Thanks to problems with a single manufacturer a generation ago, intrauterine devices (IUDs) have been all but forgotten. But new technology makes the IUD an ideal form of birth control — it’s safe, highly effective, and low-maintenance. Author Jennifer Couzin-Frankel explains why it’s time to give the IUD a second chance.

The One-Armed-Bandit Bandit by Brendan I. Koerner pg. 120

High-maintenance and easy to rig, early slot machines were barely tolerated by casinos. After a couple decades of innovation, however, the machines now account for more than 60 percent of Las Vegas’ gaming revenue—and the industry has become deeply serious about protecting its assets. Contributing editor Brendan I. Koerner tells how one man was clever—and foolish—enough to hack his way in.

The New Way to Be a Fifth Grader by Clive Thompson pg. 126

Khan Academy is an educational website that, as its tagline says, aims to let anyone “learn almost anything—for free.” Students can choose from more than 2,000 videos featuring short, smart lectures and illustrations from founder Salman Khan on principles of math, science, economics and more. Khan fans (like Bill Gates) believe the site can help solve education’s middle-of-the-class mediocrity. Clive Thompson finds out how.